WINGED ₁

49

JUST AFTER DAWN, THE QUEST GROUP MET AT ZEUS'S FIST. Madeleine had packed her school bag, trading her textbooks for things she might need on the quest: a thermos with nectar, a few squares of ambrosia wrapped in plastic, a sleeping bag, an extra set of clothes, three flashlights, and a pack of extra batteries. She also had a six-pack of Cokes, too many granola bars, bottles of water, and stuff to make sandwiches. She enjoyed sandwiches.

Her rings felt heavy on her fingers. She was dressed in a black unbuttoned short-sleeved shirt tucked into denim shorts, a lacy white bra, socks that reached up just below her knees, and her flying shoes. The day was warm, but Madeleine had packed Zoe's parka in her bag for the future.

It was a clear morning and a beautiful New York day. the fog had burned off and the sky was blue. Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson had joined Madeleine at the hill gradually, all carrying their respective bags.

Grover had stood apart from the group to talk to Juniper. She had been crying again, but she was trying to keep it together for her boyfriend. She kept fussing with his clothes, straightening his cap and brushing goat fur off his shirt. Since they didn't know what they would encounter in the maze, Grover was dressed as a human, with the hat to hide his horns, jeans, fake feet, and sneakers.

Watching them made Madeleine's throat hurt. In another life, Zoe would be sending Madeleine off, tugging at her sleeves and kissing her too many times, holding them back. Or even better, Zoe would be coming with them, those silver arrows gleaming in the dark. Madeleine and Zoe had been an unbeatable team, deadly efficient, both long-range and short-range right up until Zoe had died.

That future wouldn't have mattered, even if Zoe had survived. Her real happiness had been with the Hunters, and she would have been booted, shunned, perhaps even killed. Madeleine doubted it, but you never knew with gods.

But it still hurt, regardless of reality. It always hurt. 

Chiron, Quintus, and Mrs. O'Leary stood with the other campers who'd come for the send-off. Nearby, some tents had been set up by the rocks for guard duty. Beckendorf and his siblings were working on a line of defensive spikes and trenches. Chiron had decided they needed to guard the Labyrinth exit at all times, just in case.

When Beckendorf saw Madeleine watching, he came over and fist-bumped her. "Kick some ass for me, huh?"

She smiled. "Yeah. You too?"

"Always." He gave her that endearing smile, all teeth, then returned to his siblings.

Madeleine wandered over to Annabeth, who was doing one last check on her supply pack, rummaging through it and muttering a checklist under her breath. Before Madeleine could say anything, Percy and Tyson joined them. Tyson looked as enthusiastic as ever, but Percy's eyes were darker than usual.

Annabeth took note of this immediately and frowned. "Percy, you look terrible."

"Truly," Madeleine agreed.

"He killed the water fountain last night," Tyson told them seriously.

"What?" Annabeth asked.

Before he could elaborate, Chiron trotted over. "Well, it appears you are ready!"

Madeleine was still deadly angry with him, so she separated herself from the group. There weren't many campers she knew among the crowd, and she couldn't help feeling disappointed by the lack of Drew and Lee. She had at least hoped they would be there.

But, of course. Pushing through the crowd was Drew Tanaka, looking a little frantic but impeccable as always, her hair a glossy sheet down her pack, her eyeliner sharp enough to kill. She approached Madeleine and gave her a rib-crushing hug.